Beman Qualifies For British Open

TURNBERRY, SCOTLAND — There are ways to tell it`s going to be a bad day. Like when you wake up face down on the pavement or your horn gets stuck while riding behind a group of Hell`s Angels.

But PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman may find something even more disturbing when he shows up for work Thursday--Seve Ballesteros and Mac O`Grady.

Beman, who has been taking time off from his Tour duties in an attempt to qualify for major international tournaments, Monday earned the right to play in the British Open, which begins Thursday.

And there has been some speculation that the secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, which administers the tournament, may decide to place Beman, Ballesteros and O`Grady in the same group.

``A possibility,`` is all secretary Michael Bonallack would say.

But, no doubt, O`Grady and Ballesteros would have plenty to say.

Beman banned Ballesteros from the PGA Tour this season when the popular Spaniard failed to play the required 15 tournaments last year. Ballesteros thus has stayed in Europe, where he is having a big year with five victories, two seconds, a third and a fourth.

When Beman received an exemption to play in the recent Irish Open, which Ballesteros won, Ballesteros complained that Beman had no business playing in Europe.

But that gripe figures to be small compared to what O`Grady might say.

O`Grady already has called Beman ``a thief with a captial T`` and ``a dictator`` after Beman fined him for allegedly cursing a volunteer during a 1984 tournament. Beman fined O`Grady $5,000 and suspended him for six weeks for ``conduct unbecoming a professional golfer.`` O`Grady has exhausted his appeals to the PGA Tour Board, but is still considering taking his case to the courts.

Beman`s conduct Monday was impressive. He shot back-to-back 70s at Western Gailes Golf Club to gain a British Open berth.

Beman, 48, started working more on his golf game this year in hopes of competing again, although he said he would not play on the U.S. regular or Senior tours.

Before he became commissioner in 1974, Beman had won four professional titles, two U.S. Amateurs and one British Amateur. Though not a long hitter, he was an accurate driver and strong fairway wood player when he played regularly. And those are the attributes needed for the tight, unforgiving Turnberry course.

But Beman may have a lot more to think about than the course when he runs into Mac and Seve.